How Gudgeons Prentice modernised its traditional high street practice
Head of residential conveyancing at Gudgeons Prentice Lisa Lawley and practice manager Lauren Allen share how the implementation of Access Legal’s case management along with their inCase client onboarding and communications app delivered measurable efficiency gains, while maintaining the personal service their clients value
A well-established high-street practice with a focus on residential conveyancing, wills and probate, commercial and family law, Gudgeons Prentice — which employs 35 people — has built its reputation on providing personal, accessible legal services to clients who often “literally just walk in off the street.”
Previously, the firm was accustomed to working the ‘old fashioned way’ exclusively in-office and very reliant on paper. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and the various lockdown periods taught the firm that it needed to implement a new way of working — one that offered a more digital approach to allow for hybrid working.
“We are predominantly office-based because we are a traditional high street law firm, but we are very much hybrid insofar as that we’ve got that flexibility now,” explains the firm’s practice manager Lauren Allen.
The firm was entirely paper-based with no digital case management system (CMS). Time-consuming processes for client verification, documentation, and compliance checks were hampering their ability to provide the rapid response clients expected.
As such, the firm realised it needed to update this in order to be part of the ever-evolving tech heavy world we are living in.
Allen elaborates: “What I actively wanted for our firm was to have an electronic onboarding process for our clients — particularly with conveyancing, the source of funds checks, the electronic ID, and all of the AML compliance requirements from the outset of a transaction. I wanted it all in one place to ensure internal compliance and a smooth onboarding process for our clients.”
Embracing innovation
With client service at the heart of all of decision making, the firm chose to partner with Access to digitalise a lot of their work, and avoid unnecessary delays for their clients.
Gudgeons Prentice implemented a comprehensive Access software ecosystem designed to modernize their operations while preserving their client-focused approach, which includes:
- Access Legal Case Management as the primary CMS, enabling remote work and centralized file management
- InCase, the digital client onboarding and communication app
- Access Financial Director — an integrated accounting solution
- Access Workspace — the document management and collaboration platform
This ecosystem also supports integrations with other tech solutions, including:
- Smart Search — for electronic ID verification via inCase
- Armalytics — for risk management and compliance monitoring
- GRC modules — for CQS accreditation and compliance management tools
People: the key factor for implementation excellence
The success of the digital transformation was largely attributed to exceptional support from the Access implementation team, particularly Martin Dunham, technical success manager, and Lou Horrigan, senior solution delivery manager for inCase.
“Lou was our inCase mentor, without whom we would have been lost. Martin has been working alongside us from the start and has offered invaluable support both in house and externally with Access Legal case management and financial director,” says Allen. “If we didn’t have the right people involved from the start, it wouldn’t have worked, but Martin and Lou have been absolutely fantastic.”
Lawley agrees, adding that Horrigan was always available to help out, and kept in constant communication with Gudgeons Prentice to answer questions, get feedback from the team, sort out any issues and provide the necessary support.
This hands-on approach proved essential for a firm transitioning from entirely paper-based operations to a fully digital infrastructure.
Key benefits realised
By implementing the Access software ecosystem, Gudgeons Prentice got what it desired: remote working capabilities, streamlined quote generation and client set up, accelerated processing times, and enhanced compliance management across the board.
The opportunities module in Access Legal Case Management transformed their initial client interactions, says Lawley. “It’s nice having all of that information to input immediately and when clients get to go ahead, everything’s just there, ready to get up and running.”
She adds that she was particularly impressed by the quote generation feature, thanks to its ease of use and speed. “You just put in the purchase price and it’ll bring up the quote. It generates this really easily and then it’s just emailing it out to the client.”
Overall, Lawley says the firm now operates with remarkable speed in client service delivery: “From when people are sent that quote to when they instruct us and get in that initial paperwork out, we can turn that around within the same day, if necessary.” The firm has also seen significant time savings in the digital onboarding process, and greater efficiency in ID verification and compliance.
In addition, the inCase platform has revolutionised how Gudgeons Prentice interacts with clients — particularly for tech-savvy clients, for whom the transformation has been dramatic, says Lawley.
The firm currently processes approximately 15-20 inCase transactions monthly, representing about half their target volume. Allen confirms Gudgeons Prentice’s goal is to have 30 users a month — though she recognises that adoption rates reflect the diverse nature of the firm’s client base. “I always appreciated that it would be a bit of a slow burn with such a mixed demographic of clients here and only offering the inCase experience on residential sales and purchases. We’ve got two more workflows to introduce this year, so we are excited to expand on this and offer more of our clients the app experience,” she adds.
Lessons learned from the Access software implementation
1. Implementation support is critical
The quality of implementation support proved decisive in the project’s success, with a dedicated customer success manager being essential for firms transitioning from paper-based operations.
2. Client choice drives adoption
Maintaining options for different client preferences while encouraging digital adoption has proven more effective than forcing change.
3. Gradual rollout strategy
A phased approach to implementing new workflows allows for natural adoption and continuous improvement based on real-world usage.
4. Integration benefits
The seamless workflow between Access products eliminates data silos and reduces administrative overhead.
Gudgeons Prentice’s digital transformation illustrates how traditional law firms can successfully modernize their operations without compromising their core values. Through the implementation of Access Legal Case Management and inCase, the firm has achieved significant efficiency gains, improved compliance capabilities, and enhanced its ability to serve clients both digitally and traditionally.
The firm’s success demonstrates the importance of choosing the right legal technology partner, ensuring strong implementation support, and maintaining flexibility in client service approaches. Its experience provides a roadmap for other traditional practices considering digital transformation, while preserving the personal touch that clients value.
Looking forward, Gudgeons Prentice confirms it will continue to expand its digital capabilities, with plans to introduce additional workflows and further enhance client service delivery. The firm’s approach demonstrates that traditional practices can successfully embrace digital transformation while preserving the personal service that defines their brand.
Allen summarises the firm’s journey: “We’ve worked very hard over the last three years with Access to really embrace the systems we have in place, and only hope to build on this going forward to really maximise the potential efficiencies Access can offer to our firm and in turn, our clients.”
Find out how Access’ legal software can benefit your firm by downloading our brochure, or booking a demo.
